Our gardening expert, Jonathan Castro, has some simple steps to a vibrant Christmas light display that won't break the bank and help out the environment, too.

You can make your holiday lights setup more environmentally friendly and more cost efficient by replacing incadescent C-9 or C-7 bulbs with LED lights.

LEDs use 88% less energy, come in an assortment of colors, and last over 30 times longer than cenventional bulbs.

If you want to transfer from incandescent to LED, you can swap out over time. LED crystals or prism lenses multiply the diode to greater brightness with much less energy.

Jonathan's Timely Tips of the Season:

• Compost Pumpkins

• Compost Corn Stalks

• Old bales of hay – use them for mulching your flower beds

• Wrap exposed pipes

• Weather stripping

• Close damper on fireplace when not in use

• Cover outside faucets

• Water flower beds before hard freeze

• Don’t send leaves to landfill – compost them